Family
by IceDynamiteDragonflyStars
Summary: Squint has lost the little love and family he had. Struggling alone, can a certain kangaroo joey give him a home?


**This story was inspired by a review KaylaDestroyer wrote for my fanfic, Choices. I mentioned Squint came from North Island, an island featured in it, and she was curious to know how he came to be with the pirates. (Is that proper grammar?) Anyway, I know I promised I'd get this done by last friday, but I was busier than I expected, sorry! Anyway, here, four days late, is the story. (I have a feeling that wasn't very good grammar either.) Also, I don't own any of the charachters. Also, this is a short story and will only be one or two chapters long. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>It was a wild, stormy day on North Island, with bitterly cold sea wind battering every inch of the tiny landmass.<p>

North Island was a tiny island just north of Switchback Cove. Being further north, it was exposed to all the storms that blew off the sea. Switchback Cove was luckier, protected by a peninsula jutting off the continent. North Island had a barren landscape that consisted of rocky cliffs and wild, windy moors. The moors had a few gnarled, bent fruit trees and long grass that rippled in the wind like a wild ocean. Nothing lived on the moors but a few crows and rabbits.

A tiny rabbit kit staggered along the top of a cliff, struggling to walk with the force of the wind nearly knocking him over. It didn't, though. He was determined. Even though he was only (the rabbit equivalent of) four years old, he knew a fall onto the jagged rocks below would mean a certain, instant, painful death. If you miraculously missed the rocks, the rip current underwater would drown you in minutes.

"Mummy!" He yelled, the words immiediately lost over the roaring wind. He knew it was useless. He'd _seen _her disappear over the edge with his own eyes. He wouldn't give up hope though, not yet.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, not so far away, Raz was incredibly excited. This was the first time the captain was letting her off the ship alone. The eight-year-old grinned. They would be there soon. She could hardly wait. It was just a shame Shira couldn't come. Her best friend had caught some kind of illness, which, actually was the whole reason they were stopping at North Island. The island actually contained quite a few types of medicinal herbs, which could hopefully cure the tigress.<p>

Hearing a shout, the joey hopped onto the deck. The weather was disappointingly dark and wet, but no matter. After the captain had gone through the usual safety precautions and told her to be back in half an hour, she hopped onto the beach.

It was a pebble beach, with large, smooth stones. Raz bent down, inspecting a pretty white one. She carefully placed it into her pouch, to add to her collection of land things later. She then hopped up the slope leading to the moors, collecting a couple more stones as she went.

The slope was steeper than she'd thought, and Raz found it hard to climb. There was one terrifying moment when an arm and both legs slipped off their holds after a particularly strong gust of wind. However, she managed to regain balance.

Raz found the moors quite disappointing when she finally managed to scale the cliff. There was nothing up there. "_I came all this way for nothing,"_ she thought, scowling. Suddenly she heard a shout.

"Help! Somebody, _please_?" It sounded like a small boy's voice. Raz curiously hopped to the edge. There, hanging from a jagged piece of rock for dear life, was a tiny baby rabbit.

* * *

><p>Squint was struggling along the cliff. His mother had been blown off the other side. He finally reached the edge. "<em>MUMMY?"<em> He yelled. Suddenly, a gigantic puff of wind hit his back, and he was falling.

Squint grabbed a jagged edge of rock. He struggled to find a foothold, but the rock edge was jutting too far out for his feet to touch the cliff. "Help!" He screamed. No answer but the wind. He tried again. "Help! Somebody, _please_?" He hung there for what was probably just a minute or two, but to him felt like days.

Suddenly, a quiet Australian voice answered his pleas. "I'll help you, okay? Just keep still. There."

Raz eased herself forward. She was lying on her stomach, reaching out to grab Squint. Her paws gently wrapped round his middle, and he was soon back on solid ground. "Hello," the kangaroo smiled down at him. "I'm Raz."

"Squint."

"Do ya have a family?" Squint's eyes brimmed as he thought of his mother. He didn't have any siblings. They were all long dead; rabbit kits made an easy meal for hungry crows. He didn't remember any of his littermates.

Raz frowned. Clearly family was a touchy subject for him. Before Raz could give it any thought her mouth suddenly blurted out the three words that would change the rabbit's life.

"Come with me."

"What?"

"You could live with me and my crew. Gutt's been wantin' a new crewmember."

Squint thought this over. There was nothing for him here. Why not join this 'crew', after all? He nodded. Raz grinned and picked up the rabbit, popping him in her pouch.

Squint smiled as they went home to this 'ship'. He couldn't remember ever smiling before. But he felt he should. He was happy, after all. He was getting a family.

* * *

><p><strong>The end! I may do a sequel if enough people request it. Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease<em>please <em>review! (Please?)**


End file.
